


In Miniature

by neuronary



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Assassination, Azula (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Azula (Avatar)-centric, Gen, Kinda?, POV Outsider, Politics, for the love of the avatar spirit can someone please give azula a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:14:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24592882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neuronary/pseuds/neuronary
Summary: Azula's a capable strategist. She thinks things through. She inspires trust in her subjects in a way that her father really... doesn't, anymore.
Relationships: Azula & Ozai (Avatar)
Comments: 75
Kudos: 608
Collections: The Last Rec List, avataner





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Literally a List of Characters](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24322483) by [MuffinLance](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MuffinLance/pseuds/MuffinLance). 



> hey so i'm not very creative and i stole Muffin's OCs again (thanks muffin)
> 
> stolen OCs:
> 
> Captain Izumi  
> Lady Huian  
> Kwang-su and Daichi also but i mostly just took their names because, again, i'm not very creative.
> 
> This is... kind of just a concept that I thought of. It's the first chapter of what could be a very long canon-rewrite fic. If anyone feels like picking it up Please be my guest. Unfortunately I have commitment issues, so no long multi-chaps for me.
> 
> BIG OLD MASSIVE TRIGGER WARNING!!!  
> There is a pretty graphic (? i think?) description of a death. If you want to skip that, go straight to the italics from "So we're going ahead with it then?"

“You heard about the riots on the southern coast?”

“Yes. Haven’t they stopped?”

“Yes, yes, but did you hear what stopped them?”

Lady Tairo paused for a moment and listened in.

“The Royal Guard was sent over, wasn’t it?”

“No, it was the Princess.”

“I’m not stupid, there’s no way they sent an eleven-year-old girl down to deal with riots.”

The Fire Lord had sent a feverish thirteen-year-old boy on a ghost hunt for a spirit tale so Lady Tairo didn’t see why it was that unbelievable but she kept an ear open for the rest of the exchange.

“No, no! I mean, the Princess took the Royal Guard down and then  _ gave the rioters what they wanted _ .”

“Well,” Lady Tairo cut in, because the girl was only eleven, “calling them riots is very sensationalist. From what I’ve heard, it was a relatively peaceful protest.”

The two courtiers startled and rushed to perform the proper bows. Lady Tairo waved them off.

“Tell me more about the Princess.”

\---

_ The conflicts in the Southern Coastal towns that began three weeks ago have come to an abrupt end following Fire Lord Ozai’s deployment of the Royal Guard. The conflicts began with protests outside Governor Huang’s house contesting his budgeting for the local charity schools. The Palace issued an official statement on the situation this morning. _

_ “The concerns of the initial lobbyists were legitimate. The concerns for our children are legitimate. But we are in wartime and sacrifices must be made to build those same children a brighter future.” _

_ Governor Huang declined to comment on the situation. _

\---

Daiyu quite enjoyed serving in the war rooms. Many of the other tea servers considered it a high risk job but, in her experience at least, the Generals were far too busy grumbling over troop positions to pay much attention to her. So long as she didn’t make any noise or fumble the cups, she usually got an incredibly peaceful afternoon out of it.

Besides it was nice to stay informed about global politics, and she wasn’t stupid enough to believe a word of what the papers put out.

“Once we cross the Great Divide we’ll make quick work of the region. It’s dry and hot. Perfect for a few small sparker divisions.”

A few of the Generals harrumphed. The Princess, sat at the head of the table while her father watched on from the throne, let her eyes sweep over the map before them, considering it carefully.

“If I may, General.” Her voice rang out clear and confident amongst the tense mumbling of the other councillors. “Would it not be prudent to move the 36th Guard and the 40th Division from here” - she motioned with the relevant miniatures - “through Harbor Town? We should secure our hold on the newer coastal colonies before we move further inland.”

“That is certainly a well-thought out approach,” put in a General to the Princess’ left. The first General bristled. “That was not a region easily taken and it could prove disastrous to stretch our troops too thin so soon. The matter of how we strengthen our hold, though…”

The Princess seemed to have an answer prepared. “The fishing culture’s hold on decentralised government there has served to disenfranchise many capable women - we all know about the Earth Kingdom’s barbaric laws on women owning property and businesses - who could very easily be persuaded to embrace our values. We could even recycle some of the older colony-focused media campaigns.”

The councillors had started to nod along but the General that had first spoken seemed unconvinced.

“Do we have the time to waste on this, though? Regardless of resources the Earth King’s armies have been steadily instigating smaller conflicts on the front lines.”

The Princess raised an eyebrow. “We have all the time in the world, General. I am merely suggesting internal relocation of troops to secure our footing in the areas close to the front lines.”

It was easy to forget, Daiyu thought to herself, that the Princess was just barely twelve.

Above it all, Ozai shifted.

Everybody froze.

“You believe, Azula, that this will be worth the delay?”

The Princess turned and bowed. “I am certain of it, my Lord.”

Daiyu wondered if the Princess called the Fire Lord ‘dad’ in private, or something similar. ‘Ba’, maybe? Or, ‘father’, but that seemed like a stretch considering she was only twelve.

(Nobles were scary like that, though. Always so formal, even on their own.)

The meeting drew to a close soon after that. As the Councillors stood, everyone was forcibly reminded of the Princess’ age by the fact that she had yet to reach the waist of anyone else in the room.

Daiyu was the last to leave, waiting patiently as the others filed out.

She put it down to a trick of the light, but she could have sworn she saw the Princess’ hands trembling as she walked out.

\---

“Princess Azula is growing up to be a fine military strategist,” said General Daichi, once General Waido had stopped spilling his father’s nepotism all over the place and left. He set his tea cup down with a pointed  _ clink _ on the table.

General Kwang-su hummed to himself. He had said nothing in the official meeting, and continued to say nothing in the unofficial one.

“Her consideration of the Southern Coastal…” General Chiao paused to search for a word that wouldn’t necessitate a visit to his frail older sister. “... situation was admirable. It is unusual, especially at her age, to balance efficiency with being so very thorough.”

Kwang-su continued in his humming.

“I am certain that when the time comes, she will lead our great nation formidably,” put in General Kamei. “She certainly brings a new perspective to our meetings.”

Like clockwork, the room turned to General Obara. He folded his hands very neatly into his sleeves before he spoke. “She certainly seems less volatile than she could be. Firebending children are not known to be so calm. Her forethought may have saved us from some disastrous errors on General Waido’s part.”

Kwang-su hummed again, and finally spoke. “She is progressing in leaps and bounds. You have heard about her flames?”

“It’s true, then? They are blue?”

He nodded and reheated his tea. “I expect she’ll master the cold flame before she reaches fifteen, and that she will grow to hold more power and” - he paused to take an ever-so-slightly-unnecessarily-dramatic sip of his tea - “more control over her actions.”

There were nods and murmurs of agreement through the room.

“We were never Fire Lord Azulon’s generals,” Kamei pointed out. “We are Fire Lord Ozai’s.”

“That is true, but the Princess seems very fond of her father.” Obara finished his tea.

“Are we in agreement, then?” Daichi asked.

The unofficial meeting was over quickly.

\---

Lady Liang shot Captain Izumi a not-so-subtle glare over the Princess’ head. Captain Izumi thought this was completely unwarranted, but Lady Liang always was the kind to let her bleeding heart drip all over the palace floors.

(It was a wonder she’d lasted so long.)

“Do you have somewhere to be, Captain?”

She did not.

Lady Liang’s glare was not enough to make her stay. The Princess’ watchful eye, though…

Captain Izumi took up a perfunctory position at the door.

“A training accident, Princess?”

A pause drew out before the Princess’ voice - high from youth and quiet from the pain - broke the silence.

“I wasn’t watching my flank. I couldn’t disperse the flames entirely.”

(The Fire Lord had ensured he was in a blind spot before releasing enough flames that even he would not be able to snuff them all.)

“Well, it cannot be helped, I suppose. Fire is… volatile.” Lady Liang’s voice was strained.

(The Princess had done an admirable job of clearing the flames that she could not dodge. Izumi would have left the field on a stretcher.)

“I won’t make the same mistake again.”

The Princess fixed her gaze on the high windows whilst Lady Liang applied the bandages. Izumi could see her lips moving slightly. After a moment, she paused and her brow furrowed.

“There you are. I’m going to recommend against physical exertion for the next few days.”

The Princess turned back to look at Lady Liang, face perfectly blank again. “Will it scar?” Her tone was mild, detached, as if she were talking about someone else’s leg.

Izumi decided against sticking around for much longer. She could find somewhere to be.

She bumped into General Chiao at the door. Appropriate bows aside, they ignored each other.

\---

Lady Huian knew her team well. Many of them assumed that she didn’t, that she was too preoccupied with organising them to care, but she did. In little ways. When she could afford to.

At any rate, she could tell when someone was up to something. 

“Thank you for coming.”

The girl bowed, court-perfect. “My lady, you wished to speak with me?”

“Please, sit down. I’ve made us tea.”

Lady Huian did enjoy making her team squirm, on occasion. Especially when they were about to do something stupid. So, she kept up small talk and pleasantries for a few minutes, watching her worker glance to the windows and door several times before she finally got to her point.

“Do you have somewhere to go, when this is all over?”

“My lady?”

“I won’t stop you, but they will cast you aside as soon as you have finished. Do you have somewhere to go?”

The silence stretched a long way between them. The girl looked down.

“No, my lady.”

“It’s a good thing I have my contacts, then.”

Once it was all tied up neatly with a ribbon, Lady Huian sent her final letter and the girl paused in the doorway.

“The princess is the same age as my younger sister.” It was all she offered by way of explanation. Lady Huian was thankful, in a way, that she hadn’t been swayed by attractive older generals with jealous wives.

“Compassion doesn’t get you very far, I’m afraid. Not in our line of work.”

“No. I know. Thank you, my lady.”

\---

The Princess toyed with the troop blocks. She was out of her formal armour and returned to an uncharacteristically plain kimono. It showed her age more, and General Daichi was suddenly struck with a wave of uncertainty.

“General.”

Had she found them out? Of course she had, she was so much more shrewd than her father had been when he’d taken the throne. How could any of them have been so foolish? He’d have to warn them all, and fast, so they could leave before dawn tomorrow.

“What do you think makes a good Fire Lord?”

The question caught him off guard enough that he had to stammer his way through an ‘excuse me’ to the princess’ unmistakably twelve-year-old face. The innocent smile gained a few more teeth, turning it shark-like.

“What do you think makes a good Fire Lord, general? It’s not a trick question.”

So she did know. Daichi took a slow, long breath.

“I suppose what makes a good Fire Lord would also be what makes a good General, your highness.”

The princess pondered his words for a moment. “What makes a good general?”

He forced himself to be calmly reckless with his words. “A good general is considerate, your highness. A good general considers every angle carefully, and minimises the losses for both themself and the soldiers under their charge. Most of all, a good general never wastes a life. On either side of the war.”

“What is a good general’s highest priority?”

Daichi watched the princess return the troop blocks to their places. A Fire Lord in miniature.

“A good general’s highest priority is their soldiers.”

The princess turned her face upwards and looked at the throne.

“Thank you for your counsel, General Daichi. I look forward to seeing you in the war room tomorrow.”

\---

“But what does that mean? Is she… does she want us to…?”

“I don’t know. She was limping.”

“Limping?”

“A servant told me it was a training accident.”

“You don’t think…?”

“I don’t know. I forget she’s so young.”

“Has she… she’s not even thirteen yet, is she?”

“No.”

“Are we certain she’ll…  _ she’s so young _ .”

“So was her brother.”

An uncomfortable silence settled across the dark little tea room off the central courtyard.

“And she’ll have us. Won’t she?”

Murmurs of assent went around.

“So we’re going ahead with it, then?”

\---

Fire Lord Ozai only realised something was wrong after he’d had three pieces of sashimi.

If Princess Azula was shocked, she didn’t show it.

“Did you…” was all he managed to wheeze out as his breathing became more and more laboured.

His daughter stood and walked around the table to his chair. She rested one of her hands on his elbow. The other took away his chopsticks gently.

“I didn’t have anything to do with it except motivation, I suspect,” she told him, quietly, “but I did know.”

He grabbed at her wrist in desperation, eyes turning bloodshot.

“I know it won’t matter to you, you don’t… you never could love any of us, I don’t think, but we loved you.”

The image of her darkened.

“For what it’s worth, I’ll miss y-”

\---

_ Fire Lord Ozai’s - may his soul find peace at Agni’s will - assassins have been caught and executed. The main conspirator, Shohei Waido, has been exiled to the colonies with his family, who have been stripped of their noble status. _

_ Fire Lord Azula was crowned as the sun rose on her thirteenth birthday. May Agni shine brightly on her reign. _

\---

“Fire Lord Azula.”

The girl turned to face General Kwang-su. He bowed appropriately. She bowed, too, fifteen degrees for a respected elder. He smiled.

“The council has inquired after your plans for your brother, Fire Lord.”

Her face did not shift, but her fingers tapped against her armour. She did not answer immediately.

“I will have to think on it. For now, we should focus on the war. The Earth Kingdom will surely take my age and gender as a sign of weakness. The longer we wait, the less time we have to use that to our advantage.”

Kwang-su smiled again. “Certainly, Fire Lord, that decision should not be taken lightly. You have the council’s support regardless.”

Fire Lord Azula smiled with just a few too many teeth.

“Of course I will.”


	2. Comment Section Vignettes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> so sometimes when i get inspiring comments i drop a quick vignette as a reply (good writing warm up). i got a Lot of them on this fic so i've compiled them into a second chapter.

**Zuko and Azula reunite post-coup version 1**

"I can come home?"

"Did the burn affect your hearing, Zuzu? Yes, you can come home. I just said that."

Iroh considered his niece. She had spared him a very bland glare - he had not known glares could be bland, but if anyone could pull that off it would be Azula - when she'd boarded the Wani, but otherwise focused entirely on her brother.

Zuko looked as though he might cry - scratch that, he was crying. He decided the best way to hide this was by flinging his arms around his sister and hugging her tightly.

Azula looked deeply disturbed by this turn of events.

"Get off me or I'll banish you again. For the love of Agni, brother, I haven't even explained the stipulations yet. We should probably do that on my ship, though." Iroh did not miss her thinly veiled disparagement for their own transportation.

Zuko was not exactly pleased with the stipulations. Iroh found them to be significantly less harsh than he'd expected. Perhaps that had to do with the faint circles under his niece's eyes.

"Fire Lord Azula?"

"Yes, Uncle?"

"I think I might keep the Wani, with your blessing. I have often dreamed of opening a travelling tea shop and it seems the opportunity has finally presented itself."

"Uncle?" Iroh tried to ignore the betrayal in Zuko's voice. This was for the best.

"I would also like to invite our crew to join me? Once again, with your blessing only."

Azula put on that odd little smile of hers that was only ever half way to genuine. "That certainly sounds like a very characteristic endeavour, Uncle. I wish you the best of luck with it."

"Uncle!"

They both turned to Zuko. He looked lost.

"Do you think, Fire Lord Azula, that Zuko could stay with me for a little longer? I would appreciate the company before we have to say our goodbyes."

\---

**The Generals take responsibility for their actions (ft. sleep deprivation)**

Kwang-su yawned, rather pointedly, and failed to draw the Fire Lord's attention. She was hunched over a map of the regions surrounding Omashu, trying very hard not to let on that she was trying not to fall asleep.

The meeting had started about forty degrees prior. The sun had recently set and it was midsummer.

"Fire Lord Azula."

She hummed in the way she did when she was paying enough attention to remember exactly what you'd said the next day, but not enough to actually consider the words in the moment.

"May I speak freely?"

The hand that was not very carefully following the lines of the map waved in Kwang-su's direction.

"It is rather late, my Lord, and we generals are no long blessed with your youth. May I suggest that we adjourn for the night and reconvene at your earliest convenience?"

The Fire Lord looked up, at last, to several very exaggerated yawns and stretches. She raised an eyebrow.

"Very well, you are all dismissed."

The Fire Lord did not leave the war room with her ministers.

The generals collectively agreed to return in a few degrees with some pillows and a blanket.

It was worth the embarrassed threats on their life the next morning.

\---

**Azula Takes Ba Sing Se Temporarily (On Purpose)**

"Right. As you were."

Long Feng blinked. "What."

"Carry on," said the teenager. "I don't actually want Ba Sing Se, of course I don't. I only came here because Daichi kept saying it was impenetrable."

"What."

"Look, the Fire Nation is still in absolute shambles because of my father's perpetual mismanagement of our resources. I have neither the energy nor the time to spare for a war at the moment." All this was explained, rather haughtily, by the girl that Long Feng was beginning to suspect might be the Fire Lord. "If you really want me to take it off your hands I'm sure I could dig up a spare governor from somewhere, but, like I said, I'm quite busy at the moment."

Long Feng did not have anything to say to that.

"Maybe I could give to dear Zuzu," the Fire Lord mused. "He was so put out when he realised he wasn't getting the throne. Hm, I'll have to think about it."

\---

**Azula and Zuko reunite post-coup version 2**

"Dad's... dead?"

Azula grimaced internally. She would really rather her brother kept his emotions to himself, but Mother had always been far too soft on him.

"Yes, Zuzu, he was poisoned. It was a whole... thing."

"Poisoned?"

"That's what I just said."

"And... you're the Fire Lord now?"

Azula wasn't even going to grace that with an answer.

"So I can come home?"

"Ye-" She was cut off by Zuko flinging his arms around her neck and sobbing. She allowed him a generous two seconds. "Zuzu, get off, or I'll immolate you." He did as requested, a little sheepish. Azula brushed herself down. "For the love of Agni, could you please control yourself?"

"I'm sorry," he blurted out.

Azula rolled her eyes and fixed her hair. "Don't do it again."

"No, I mean... never mind."

\---

**Ty Lee and Mai (Happy Version)**

Ty Lee wasn't entirely certain the Generals had thought their coup through.

(Or perhaps they had thought it through, and Azula's brushes with collapse were all part of a higher plan. Powerful men never cared much for young girls' health.)

Still, she watched the circles under Azula's eyes grow darker and wider, watched her struggle to keep her hands from trembling in the endless, droning meetings, watched her eyes dart to mirrors and dark corners with no reason behind them, and she worried. She smiled sweetly and insisted upon Azula having tea with her everyday at noon and came up with many carefully chosen whims for the Fire Lord to indulge but it wasn't enough. Azula kept shivering when she thought no one could see.

It was Mai who inspired the real solution.

"My mother keeps writing to ask when I'll be back, as if this is some childish slumber party," she complained, and Ty Lee gasped.

"Mai, you're a genius!"

Mai had frowned ever so slightly, but allowed herself to be distracted until nightfall. They waited until the moon had gotten halfway across the sky before they snuck past the guards.

"Mai? Ty Lee? What on earth are you doing?" Azula was sat at her desk, hunched over a scroll with a brush and ink.

Ty Lee put on a sheepish face and pouted slightly. "I couldn't sleep."

Mai rolled her eyes so hard it was a shock they didn't fall out of her head but agreed. "Me neither."

"We thought you might be able to help!"

Azula stared at them, openly baffled for a few moments before she caught on. "Oh. Like when we were children."

(They still were children, in Ty Lee's humble opinion, but that wasn't the point.)

"Please?"

"Will you be joining us, Mai?" Azula asked.

Mai let out her longest-suffering sigh, but nodded. "I suppose so."

Ty Lee smiled, stretched, and cartwheeled onto the bed. "Your sheets are so pretty in the moonlight, Azula."

The Fire Lord 'hmph'ed and lay down beside her, Mai on her other side. Ty Lee snuggled into her side.

"Your hair is so soft! What do you put in it?"

"Papaya-lime extract," Azula replied, stifling a yawn.

"If you two don't pipe down," growled Mai, "I will pin you to the bed."

"Are you legally allowed to tell the Fire Lord to 'pipe down'?"

"Do you keep knives in your pyjamas, too?"

"Shut. Up."

\---

**Ty Lee and Mai (Angst Version) (also not very well written sorry. it is a warm up exercise.)**

Ty Lee stared at the Royal Summons. Fire Lord Azula. When had that happened?

She remembered saying goodbye to Azula - her friend, not the princess - three years ago. It had been the first and only time her affection hadn't been brushed off. Azula had appeared on the hill in commoners' clothes and hugged her tightly before wishing her luck and vanishing again. Mai had sent her letters periodically, keeping her informed of the Caldera's internal politics over the years, but she had never heard from Azula again.

Until now.

It was easy to make up her mind. Besides, she couldn't ignore a formal invitation from the Fire Lord.

(She missed her friend. From before they'd had to grow up properly.)

\---

Mai's mother twittered on about something or other to do with her father's political career. Mai herself toyed with the stiletto blade in its holster on her wrist and thought about Azula. Fire Lord. It was a bit early. Still, it could be interesting.

She didn't get her hopes up.

\---

Azula greeted her subjects in the throne room, as was proper. She dug her fingers into the arms of the throne itself - and let them heat up until her fingerprints were scorched into the wood permanently, evidence of her self-restraint - when Ty Lee wrapped Mai in a tight hug.

She offered them new positions, promised luxury and lavish gifts, watched them closely from her platform.

They turned her down.

**Author's Note:**

> hope u enjoyed! if you want to write from this concept please tag me somehow because i really want to read. maybe azula will bring her brother back and everything will be happy times for a bit. maybe iroh will challenge her for the throne Just To Be Stressful (TtS!Iroh i'm staring daggers at u). maybe she will keep her brother in the dark for as long as possible because she really can't afford to risk her position right now sorry zuzu.
> 
> idk.
> 
> just some thoughts.
> 
> ~~or maybe she'll have a horrific psychotic breakdown even earlier and the generals will have to go and dig zuko and iroh out of exile so that they can feel guilty about leaving her with firelord fuckface~~
> 
> ~~*onceler voice* i'm just saying!~~
> 
> come yell at me on [tumblr](https://neuronary.tumblr.com)


End file.
